The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is seeking “Temporary Trainers” to get personnel ready for the hosting of the long overdue Local Government Elections (LGEs).
According to an advertisement posted on GECOM’s website, these recruits will be under the supervision and control of the Chief Election Officer, and will: design and develop materials appropriate to specific training needs pertinent to Local Government Elections management; organize and deliver training strategies as appropriate; ensure that training needs for all temporary staff are met comprehensively and adequately; evaluate at the end of each training session, the performances of the persons trained; maintain records of training activities, and be prepared to travel to Hinterland and Rural Regions to conduct training.
The advertisement can be viewed as further affirmation that the awaiting democratic process will be conducted this year, against doubts from several sections of society.
LGEs were due in 2021, and some $1.1 billion had been allocated in that year’s national budget for the process. However, GECOM was, at the time, being riddled with election rigging accusations, with several of its top officials fingered in a plot to hand the win to the then governing APNU+AFC party at the March 2, 2020, General and Regional polls.
Former Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield; Ex-Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO), Roxanne Myers, and Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, were eventually charged with electoral fraud and were subsequently let go in August 2021. Several other persons were also charged with similar offences.
Vishnu Persaud later replaced Lowenfield four months later in December, but by then, it was too late to host the election.
The Government of Guyana has allocated $4B to GECOM for its operations this year. Local Government and Regional Development Minister, Nigel Dharamlall assured that the sum includes funds for the hosting of LGEs this year.
Though the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development is responsible for announcing the date for the LGEs, this can only be done after consultations with GECOM, which decides its readiness and has the responsibility for holding the elections.
